Lost Between Times
by insert cliche
Summary: When ex-ROOT member Tenten is finally freed from the last vestiges of Danzo's regime, nobody is quite sure how to help her become human again. Least of all Neji. Eventual NejiTen; other pairings mentioned; semi-AU
1. Before the Fall

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form. All characters and settings used belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Pairings**: eventual NejiTen, mentioned ShikaIno, NaruHina, SasuSaku

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**Lost Between Times**

by insert cliche

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"Neji."

The Hyuuga boy shot up abruptly, kunai in hand and ready to attack anyone who came his way. From what he saw through his round wooden window, it was still the darkest hour of night.

His clear pupils dilated, and he took in the appearance of the intruder. Her hair was pinned into two high buns, and her forehead protector shined in the moonlight.

"Tenten? What are you doing here? You know you aren't supposed to be here. If any of," here, he paused, "_Hokage-sama's_ agents find you here, we're both-"

"I'm running away."

"What?" Neji was incredulous. "What are you talking about? Do you know what you're saying?!"

This time, Tenten was the calm one. "Yes. I can't live in this Konoha anymore. It's not the place I know. Danzo has turned everyone against each other, and the only people who benefit from anything are that bastard and his ROOT henchmen._ I don't even know anybody anymore!_" Her voice rose in pitch, until she suddenly broke down in tears and hurtled into his arms. A muffled voice came from Neji's chest. "Neji, I-I'm l-l-leaving."

Neji couldn't stop the emotions that tumbled from within him. He wasn't too surprised by this development-after all, Tenten loved her freedom and would never be able to bear something so important being stripped from her-but the loneliness he was already feeling without her still bubbled to the surface. He wanted to grab her and keep her with him, and even though they both knew she was going to leave, that didn't stop him from trying.

"Tenten. You know it's going to be much too hard. Just stay here, and we'll figure something out."

_Stay with me, Tenten. Stay with me._

"No, Neji. You know I can't stay any longer. I'm leaving." Her voice broke for a second. "Nobody will miss me."

Neji's voice cut across her self-pitying rant. "I will."

Tenten gave him a sad, sad smile. "I know. I'll miss you too. J-just...don't forget me, okay?" She started crying again, and Neji leaned forward to brush away the tears.

"Then you can't forget me."

Tenten continued to cry as she reached for her kunai holster. She pulled out her favorite carved kunai, the one with a phoenix on the hilt and a dragon on the blade, and exchanged it for the one still in Neji's hand. "H-here. Just in case. If anything happens to me, then you'll have this to remember me by."

Neji first stared at the unfamiliar weight in his hand, then looked back into her dark brown eyes for what he knew would be one of the last times in what could be forever.

"And Neji?"

"Yes?"

Tenten paused. "I-I...I...-" She stopped abruptly and pulled him into a kiss. It was soft, passionate, and salted with her tears. It was a beautiful, heartbreakingly perfect kiss, and neither of them wanted it to end.

But it did. And when it was over, Tenten ran out of his arms and across his room to the open window. She paused as she climbed out, and told him one last thing before flinging herself into the dark.

"Goodbye."

She didn't hear his answer.

"Good luck."

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_Please review, because I'd love constructive criticism and feedback of any kind!_


	2. And Back She Comes

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form. All characters and settings used belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

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**Chapter 2-And Back She Comes**

by insert cliche

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Neji woke up before dawn, and padded around his still-dark room, preparing for another day of training. As he paused beside his small lacquered nightstand and fingered the kunai resting on the table's glossy surface. Then he picked up the blade and used it to gouge another mark in one of the wooden ceiling beams.

After Tenten had left, all of Neji's friends and mentors had expected him to do something drastic. They had all treated him like a living time bomb, ready to explode at any moment. Their actions had been understandable, but all in vain. Neji had been the calmest and most unchanged out of everyone. He had been the person to force truth into others' minds, and he had been the person that they'd leaned on when they cried. He had been the constant, when he should have been the variable.

The only times when he had ever regretted anything was at night, when he allowed himself to think of her.

Two years, six months, fifteen days, and four hours since he'd last seen Tenten. So _long_ since he had held her in his arms, looked into her eyes, breathed in her scent. So long since he'd kissed her for the last time.

Not that he was counting or anything. Most definitely not. He just missed her a little bit too much.

_I hope you're free._

* * *

When he arrived at his training ground, he sat down under an abandoned target board and started to mediate. He'd kept this habit through the years, even without a person to trust with his life as he erased his mind from the world.

A loud yell woke him from his reverie just as he was about to surrender to the peace that meditation brought him. When he listened further, he recognized the voices as those belonging to Konoha's Second Green Beast and the "Future Hokage, believe it!" - Rock Lee and Uzumaki Naruto. He heard the two boys stop right in front of him.

"Neji!"

"Oi, White Eyes! Wake up! You won't _believe_ this!"

Neji opened his pupil-less eyes. "Naruto, I have trouble believing anything that comes out of your mouth. I doubt what you want to say now will make any difference."

Lee stepped forwards. "Neji, my comrade, Naruto has real news! I have seen for myself what he is talking about, and you _need_ to see this!"

Neji sighed. "What is it, Naruto?"

The hyperactive boy spoke his words in a rush. "We think we saw someone who looked like Tenten in the market! She looks a little different, but it's only her clothes and hair and stuff! I mean, she even has huge sealing scrolls and everything! The girl was walking really fast, but she really looks like Tenten!"

"Naruto. Tenten's gone." The words were painful, but they were the truth. Tenten had left, and she wasn't going to come back to Konoha - _to him_, his mind said - until Danzo was gone and life was better.

"No, Neji! She's seriously here! Like, _here_!"

Neji made his next answer quite blunt. "_Tenten. Is. Gone._ What do you not understand, idiot?" The stupidity and general hard-headedness of the Kyuubi's container astounded him.

Naruto sighed, and shot an exasperated glare at Lee. Lee shrugged.

"I believe _you_ were the one who wanted to tell Neji."

"You're not helping, Fuzzy Brows!"

Neji sighed again. "If you have no real information, then leave. Both of you." Neji saw Lee start to say something, and cut his strangely serious teammate off. "I repeat - _Tenten is not here, and will never come back_."

"Neji, c'mon! Just let us show you! I swear on _ramen_ that Tenten's back!" Naruto continued to

The Hyuuga contemplated his choices. One was to just go with Naruto to shut the idiot up. He knew everyone would be disappointed in the end, but it was better than having to listen to the blonde rant for another few hours about a false sighting.

"Hn. Let's go."

* * *

_"Four, come here. You have a new mission." The ROOT kunoichi paused and looked up at her addressee. She cleaned up the target range quickly, then moved to stand in front of her mentor. _

_"Yes?" she said dully. "What is my assignment?"_

_"You are to join the shinobi team led by Maito Gai, commonly referred to as Team Gai. You will be monitoring the actions of the two younger members of that team, Hyuuga Neji and Rock Lee. You are also keep of the actions of Teams Seven, Eight, and Ten, led by Hatake Kakashi, Yuuhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma respectively. This mission has no projected end time. I trust you can acquire all extra information on your own."_

_"Does this Team Gai not have a female member?"_

_"Due to...circumstances, let's say, the kunoichi was forced to leave the team."_

_"Understood. As for my name?"_

_The mentor smirked, his sharp teeth shining in the darkness that surrounded both of them. The ROOT underling ignored the smirk, and waited for an answer._

_"...just let them make one up for you. Understood?" _

_A nod. "Yes." _

_A moment later, and all traces of her presence had vanished._

* * *

Four arrived in the center of the Konoha marketplace. A quick scan of her surroundings told her that there were no immediate dangers, and that the crowd was mostly composed of civilians and off-duty shinobi.

Her first task was to locate Team Gai. She walked into the closest store, which happened to be a flower shop, and approached a blonde girl who was watering a large arrangement of peonies.

"Welcome to Yamanaka Flowers. I'm Ino, and I'll be with you in a second!"

"Excuse me. Would you know the whereabouts of a Team Gai? Three-man team, led by Maito Gai, containing Rock Lee and Hyuuga Neji?" Four's voice was monotonous, but the store employee turned around anyways.

The girl's eyes widened, and she gasped. "_Tenten_? Is that really you?"

Four was surprised. "Would you be referring to me?"

"Of course! You are Tenten, aren't you?" The other girl - Ino? - seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"I believe you are mistaken. I am not this Tenten that you speak of. I am agent Four, of ROOT."

The Ino girl stopped moving for a moment and grabbed onto Four's left arm. The agent tensed. "What are you doing?"

"You're Tenten, and I'm going to prove it!"

* * *

"Kiba! Shino, Hinata! Forehead! Hey, Chouji, get Shikamaru over here! _Look_!" Ino's voice was loud, piercing through the low murmur of voices that was always in the market.

"What, Ino-pig? What stupid thing are you up to now? And who-" here, the strange pink-haired girl gestured to Four "-is this?"

Ino shoved Four forwards. "It's _Tenten_! Can't you see, Billboard Brow? It's totally her!"

Four stayed still as the strangely named "Billboard Brow" scrutinized her. "You've gotta be kidding me. Tenten left _years_ ago!"

Ino shook her head. "But just look at her! It's Tenten, I swear!"

"What are you doing, Ino?" A slouching boy with a spiky ponytail had shuffled up to the blond, and was rubbing his neck tiredly. "Can't you go a day without some kind of drama, troublesome?"

Ino grabbed the stranger's head, and turned it so the boy looked Four in the eyes. "Look, Shikamaru. Really _look_."

Four felt a calculating gaze sweep over her. It wasn't cold, but it was most definitely not friendly. "She does look like Tenten, but-"

"T-tenten-chan?"

A trio of chuunin had joined the gathering. The one who had spoken was a short Hyuuga girl with long, dark hair, and her companions were an Inuzuka boy and a boy who seemed to be an Aburame. The wilder-looking boy suddenly spoke up.

"Woah, Tenten? Where've you been?"

"Where did you go? You've been away for ages!"

"Hey, is that really you?"

"Tenten! Hey! Welcome back !"

"Oi, scary weapon girl! What's with the new outfit?"

"TENTEN! You-"

The voices around her were starting to increase in volume. More people started crowding around her, and Four lost track of some of what was going on around her. These people all talked like they knew her, all referred to her as "Tenten." Why was that?

Soon, Four couldn't even hear her own voice. She moved to speak, but someone beat her to it.

"Stop."

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Neji's voice rang out above the noise, and everyone obeyed his command. The people, shinobi and civilian alike, parted as he stepped forwards, and his footsteps echoed as he walked purposefully towards the center of the crowd.

There, he found Yamanaka Ino holding onto a strange kunoichi's arm. He moved to speak to the blonde, but the mind-reader spoke before he could start. She gestured to the stranger.

"Look, Neji. _Look at her_."

The girl was wearing an outfit that looked similar to Sai's. She had a cutoff top and long black pants, accompanied by fingerless gloves and lots of kunai holsters and shuriken pouches. There were scrolls strapped onto her hips, and a large sealing scroll dangled from her back. But those were unimportant details. What mattered most was that she looked like Tenten.

Even with shorn hair, pale skin, and dark, hooded eyes, Neji knew that the girl in front of him was his teammate. He just _knew_.

"Tenten."

He started to move closer to her, but was stopped when he saw the strange emotionless smile that spread across the girl's face.

"Who are you?"

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_Please review. Any and all reviews are greatly appreciated!_


	3. Integration

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto in any way, shape, or form. All characters and settings used belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**AN**: Hi! Third chapter here! It's pretty slow-paced right now, but there's a ton of confused and angry Neji right now. But there's a sort-of love confession at the end, so I hope you guys enjoy that!

And please remember to review. You and I both know that I'm not a perfect person, and one of my main goals as a writer is to improve. I'd love to get some constructive criticism to help me on my journey. So...tell me what you think?

Anyways, enjoy!

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**Chapter 3-Integration**

by insert cliche

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_Who are you?_

The question echoed in Neji's head over and over, like the broken music box hidden under his bed. It had been a gift from Tenten on his thirteenth birthday, he remembered dimly.

_Who are you? _

He didn't hear the crowd gasp, didn't hear Hinata-sama cry. Because all he heard was Tenten's voice, and all he heard was that question.

_Who are you?_

It was illogical. Tenten was supposed to have escaped from Konoha forever. She had left for a small civilian town called Wave, and had gotten through safely. She had given herself a new story, a new name, and a new life untainted by Konoha and her memories.

She had left them exactly two and a half years ago. She had left Lee, Gai, what used to be the Konoha Twelve, and everything precious to her. She had left him behind in the cage-that-was-their-home, with only a kiss to remember he by.

So why was she standing here? _Why_?

Why was she right in front of him, wearing ROOT clothes, and smiling like she didn't know him? Whywhy_why_ was she not gone? Why-

"Neji." Someone nudged him with an elbow. "Hyuuga, snap out of it."

He blinked, and found himself still standing in front of the ROOT-girl-who-was-Tenten. Shikamaru poked him.

"Hurry up and say something."

Neji shot a glare at the lazy chuunin standing next to him. He then turned to the girl.

"My apologies. Could you please repeat that question?" Even in the worst of times, his manners never disappeared.

Not-Tenten continued smiling in that unfeeling way. "Who are you?"

"I'm-" Neji coughed. "I'm Hyuuga Neji."

Not-Tenten's answer surprised him.

"Then I believe I've found you."

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"Hokage-sama? Team Gai and Agent Four to see you, sir." The escort rapped on the solid wooden doors that led to the Hokage's office. He looked like he had been brainwashed by the Hokage-bastard's minions, Neji thought, but looks could be decieving. Not-Tenten was a prime example.

A voice sounded through the door. "Send them in." The doors were pulled open by their leader, and the four shinobi filed in. The team bowed to the village leader as the doors closed, but Neji noticed that Four stayed upright. It was strange, but he let the observation go.

Once they straightened out of their bow, Neji stared at Danzo, his gaze unwavering. He wanted answers, and even if he didn't get them, at least he had tried.

"Maito Gai, Rock Lee, and Hyuuga Neji. Your team once had a fourth member, am I correct? I believe her name was Tenten."

His teacher answered. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"And she disappeared?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"And none of you know about her current status and whereabouts." This time, there was no question in Danzo's voice. The bastard sounded like he was gloating.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Well then. In light of these circumstances, I have decided to assign one of my ROOT members to your team. She is highly capable and experienced fighter, and I believe she will do quite well in your team. She is one of my best in taijutsu, and will be able to keep up with your team's speed."

_What circumstances?_ Neji wanted to scream at him. _Why have you only decided to notice this now, instead of two years ago?_

Lee voiced out Neji's second question. "Why now, Hokage-sama? I mean no disrespect, but our team has functioned as a three-man cell for over two years. Why have you decided to add another person after we finally finished coping with the loss of our metal dragon?" Neji noticed how Lee had spoken of Tenten with her nickname.

Once upon a time, she could have been famous in Konoha. Konoha's Metal Dragon, Mistress of Steel, Iron Flame. Even the villagers had started to give Tenten stories.

"After reviewing your team's performance," Danzo was saying, "I decided that perhaps the change back to a four-man team would boost your mission rankings. You three have taken 30 A-ranked missions and 10 B-ranked missions in the last year, but no S-rank missions. I would like to recreate Konoha's Taijutsu Team."

Gai smiled grimly at the compliment. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I assure you that we will do our best." The man had stopped saying the word "youth" after his female student had left. Kakashi had attributed it to some form of shock, and not a single person had opposed the Copy-nin.

Lee smiled as well. "We will exceed your expectations, Hokage-sama. You will not be disappointed!" Lee, on the other hand, had gotten even brighter and happier. The boy said that "_even with our youthful flower gone, we must not despair! We will all be happy for when she returns!_"

Danzo smiled like a cat who had eaten a cage full of fat, plump canaries.

"I do hope so. You are dismissed."

Gai and Lee walked out quickly, no doubt ready to start training again. Not-Tenten trailed quickly behind the somewhat-Dynamic duo. Neji, however, followed at a more sedate pace. He was just about to pull the door closed again when Danzo spoke.

"One last thing, Neji. I forgot to add that she specializes in weapons. I think you two would make good partners." Neji saw from the corner of his eye that his leader was smirking. Instead of closing the door quietly, he decided to slam it. They both knew the others' game, after all.

_Bastard._

* * *

_Why hadn't he seen it? How had he not noticed that ROOT Agent Four was Tenten?_

Maybe he had been in shock, Neji thought. That was definitely a possible answer. He was only human, and humans were allowed to make mistakes. Even big ones.

There were many things Neji wanted to do: hit himself on the head, shake himself, kill Naruto and everybody who had convinced him that a non-brainwashed Tenten was back, hit himself again, cause some more bodily harm, and stop being an idiot.

None of those happened.

Of course Danzo wouldn't let Tenten come back so easily; the bastard would make everything as painful as possible for everyone involved. He would flaunt his "possession" in their faces and watch them break before telling them the truth. As much as Neji hated him, Danzo's little plans were well thought-out and even better executed. Some people, such as Nara and himself, were sure to see through everything, but even they would be hurt in the end.

He sighed, and got up off of the small wooden porch connected to his rooms. It was just before nightfall, and Neji knew that he would not be able to sleep. At least he could pretend that his life was still normal.

He headed to bed, defeated.

* * *

It was nearly midnight, and he was still awake. Two hours of tossing and turning on the bed had done nothing but irritate him more, and he had decided to sit and meditate outside once more. It wouldn't hurt.

"Neji-nii-san?" A loose floorboard squeaked behind him, and Neji didn't need to turn around to see who it was. He addressed his superior while facing away from her in a rare show of disrespect. He knew that Hinata-sama would understand this time. She had loved Tenten like a sister, and Neji knew that she had suspected a deeper-than-friends relationship between him and his partner. "A-are you okay?"

When Neji turned around and raised a brow in confusion, she flushed dark red and looked down at the worn floorboards.

"Hinata-sama, when am I ever not okay?"_ Lies, lies_, his mind whispered. He was never okay without Tenten. But nobody needed to know that.

"I-I mean that you're always hiding your emotions, a-and it's really bad right now. But everyone knows you're hurting, and we're all really worried-even Father. Could you please just let _go_ for once?" Hinata had become uncharacteristically passionate. "Could you please act _normal_?"

Neji smiled sadly. "There is no such thing as "normal" in our lives, Hinata-sama. We live and die by the edge of our knives and survive with the steel in our hearts. You of all people should know that."

It was quiet for a moment. Neji felt the weak wooden floor sink as Hinata stepped towards him. She sat down next to him, legs dangling over the edge of the porch, moonlight eyes glinting.

In that moment, they were nothing but two cousins. They were not Main and Branch, subject to rules that would never be broken. They were two people, one comforting the other, and both of them missing a girl who had changed their lives.

The crickets chirped around them, becoming louder and louder with every moment that passed.

"Neji-nii-san, is that 'Four' girl really Tenten-chan? I've heard rumors all day, but nobody knows the truth. And it really does seem like her."

Neji sighed and smiled ruefully. "It's true, Hinata-sama. Tenten didn't make it out." They both knew what that meant. Tenten had been captured, brainwashed, and turned into a pawn.

"And she's back on your team?"

"All she knows is that she's joining a three-man cell who lost a member years ago. She doesn't know that it used to be her own team."

"What do Gai-sensi and Lee-san think?" Hinata was quite talkative when she wanted to be.

"The two of them are...coping. I suppose they're taking it better than I am right now." It was a momentary admission of weakness from Neji that startled even himself.

Hinata hummed quietly in agreement. The pair fell silent again.

After a while, there was one more question.

"Did you love her, Neji?"

The answer was immediate. He had acknowledged his feelings years prior, even before Tenten had left, and made no move to hide anything from his cousin.

"Of course, Hinata-sama."

A pause.

"I don't think I could stop loving her if I tried."

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_Please review. Any and all reviews are highly appreciated._


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